The Unremarkable Little Taoist Master

“Alright, got it, brothers, let’s keep chasing.” The group of black-clad figures vanished like the wind, pursuing the direction in which the small, thin boy had fled. This scene unfolded in many places, and those who ran away often met with fatal outcomes.

In the secret chamber, Qin Shi Huang and I were staring at each other, both lost in our own thoughts. Neither of us broke the silence, as we were each contemplating our own matters.

I glanced at Qin Shi Huang and asked randomly, “Can I seal this power? Otherwise, I’ll be hunted down by the Huangdi clan.”

Qin Shi Huang nodded and replied, “This power can be sealed, but that only keeps it unnoticed. If you find yourself in danger, it will still erupt. Besides, you’ve been sealed before, and the one who set that seal is even stronger than I am. That seal has been with you since childhood, and it’s still intact.”

His words stirred memories within me. I recalled that every year, my father would throw me into a large bathtub. I would watch him, drenched in sweat, and ask him, “Dad, what are you doing?”

He would kindly respond, “I’m protecting you, so no one can harm you.” Now, I finally understood what he was doing. Every year, my father reinforced the seal, and without that, I wouldn’t have known if I could escape the clutches of the Huangdi clan.

Thinking of my father’s gentle face, I found myself lost in memory, and Qin Shi Huang, seeing my dazed expression, didn’t pay attention to me. He just shook his head, lost in his own thoughts. After a while, I pushed those thoughts aside. My father had said that I would need to become strong to help him, so I had to grow stronger.

I looked at Qin Shi Huang again and asked, “Can you help me reinforce the power of the seal?” Qin Shi Huang nodded, “I can manage that.” Without saying anything more, I plopped down on the ground, and seeing my demeanor, Qin Shi Huang set aside his contemplations. He began to channel his energy to help reinforce the power of the seal within me, an overwhelming force shaking my body.

Surprisingly, Qin Shi Huang, the legendary Ghost Emperor, possessed genuine daoist power. This astonished me greatly. It seemed he could read my thoughts as he smiled and said, “This is a secret teaching of Daoism that I obtained long ago and have trained in successfully.”

I couldn’t help but sigh inwardly, “The luck of The Greatest Emperor in History is really off the charts. While others struggle tirelessly to master daoist techniques, he manages to succeed with ease. What incredible luck and ability he possesses.”

It really is true that comparing oneself to others can lead to feelings of frustration. But what’s the point in arguing with a long-deceased emperor? After all, he couldn’t leave either. I thought this to myself, as a way to comfort my mind.

I felt the energy surging through my body becoming increasingly powerful, and I began to struggle under the pressure. The intense pain made me grit my teeth tightly. Qin Shi Huang spoke coldly, “You must endure; otherwise, you will explode and die.” The phrase “explode and die” suddenly revitalized me, and I quickly held my breath, reciting the Calm Heart Technique.

Gradually, my heart became much calmer; I no longer felt the unbearable discomfort. Instead, I found myself entering a mysterious state. I lost track of time, and eventually emerged from that strange state, opening my eyes to see Qin Shi Huang sitting nearby.

He looked at me and said, “Alright, I’ve reinforced the seal. Now, no one should be able to sense the power within you.” I nodded and expressed my gratitude, saying, “Thank you.”

Qin Shi Huang waved his hand and replied, “You’ve helped me once; I’m just returning the favor. No need to thank me.” I nodded again, and he continued, “Everything that needed to be done is done. You can leave now. I want to enjoy this peaceful life.”

I nodded, and we opened the door to the secret chamber. With a loud creak, the door slowly opened, revealing the old daoist priest sitting wearily at the entrance.

Upon seeing us come out, the old daoist priest rushed over to embrace me, looking me up and down. I smiled helplessly and asked, “What do you want?”

The old daoist priest suddenly exclaimed, “I thought you would become more handsome after receiving the teachings, but why do you look the same?”

I struggled to hold back my laughter and asked, “Who told you that?”

The old daoist priest shook his head, looking particularly aggrieved.

At that moment, I couldn’t contain my laughter any longer. I burst out laughing, and the old daoist priest gave me a dark look while silently glancing at both Qin Shi Huang and me with a mournful expression.

I nodded at Qin Shi Huang and then we gently pulled the old professor, who wore a reluctant expression, along with us. Even though I was dragging him forward, his gaze remained fixed on the artifacts behind Qin Shi Huang.

With no choice, I continued to pull the old professor along as we slowly made our way out of the tomb entrance. Upon leaving Qin Shi Huang’s tomb, everyone let out a deep sigh of relief. Who would have thought we actually got to talk to The Greatest Emperor in History?

Although we couldn’t share this experience with others, at least it satisfied our curiosity. After exchanging phone numbers with the old professor, we bid our farewells and headed straight to the old daoist priest’s house. After a simple meal, we quickly fell asleep, as we hadn’t had a proper rest in days. It wasn’t long before the three of us were snoring thunderously.

When I woke up, I noticed the sun was already high in the sky. I walked out of the bedroom into the living room and saw the old daoist priest secretly enjoying some delicious food.

Looking at me with embarrassment, he said, “I tried to wake you up, but I didn’t expect you to be such a heavy sleeper.”

I didn’t believe the old man’s excuses. I grabbed a braised pig trotter from the table and started eating. I noticed the old daoist priest’s eyes were glistening with tears, his expression reminiscent of a forsaken woman overwhelmed with grievance.

Seeing his pitiful look, I bit down even harder on the pig trotter, while the old daoist priest gazed at me sadly-in fact, he was looking sorrowfully at the braised pig trotter I was devouring, as if it were his second life.

Suddenly, a sharp and urgent ringtone broke the moment. I pulled out my phone and saw an unfamiliar number on the screen. I shook my head and almost set my phone down.

But then I reconsidered, picked it up again, and answered. On the other end, a heavy voice of a middle-aged man came through.

“Where are you? You need to come quickly!”

“Hello, may I ask who you are?” A middle-aged man’s voice came through on the other end of the line. He continued, “I’m with the city’s Criminal Investigation Police Station. We have an incredibly bizarre case on our hands and we hope you can come to the scene to assist us.”

After confirming the address, I set down the food in my hands and relayed the situation to the old daoist priest.

He nodded and replied, “I’ll go with you.” After saying that, he quietly began to gather his belongings.

Once he was ready, the old daoist priest pulled me along and hurried down the stairs. I was surprised as I followed him down, still trying to understand why he was acting so uncharacteristically this time. Usually, it would be us dragging him along, so I couldn’t grasp why he was now dragging me. I really had no idea what was going on in his mind.

The old daoist priest quickly got into the car and started the engine.

With a cheerful expression, he said, “This time, just relax and follow my lead. I’ll protect you.”

Seeing the old man’s envious look, I helplessly replied, “You’re worried I’ll steal your thunder, aren’t you?”

He looked at me seriously and replied nonchalantly, “I’m doing this for your own good. If you encounter danger and your powers suddenly surge, you could end up in real trouble again.”

A warm feeling washed over me as I looked at the old daoist priest and said, “Alright, I understand.”